THE foundations for a dedicated arts precinct were first laid in 1950 with the purchase of the Rio Vista Historic house by the local council in 1950.
The house opened as a gallery in 1956 and, ten years later, the current Mildura Arts Centre was built alongside its performing arts theatre, which was last renovated in 2012.
Nearly 70 years later, the facility hosts an average of 180 performances annually as well as a variety of workshops, public programs and exhibition openings.
Many staff contributes to making the experience enjoyable for the 85,000 visitors who come through the doors every year.
Marina Hacquin went behind the scenes of the popular Twilight event, a free community evening held during the warmer months on the MAC’s lawns and talked to the staff about their daily tasks.
Pictures: Carmel Zaccone
Theatre technician — Tim Williams
Monitoring the technical aspects – lighting, sound, video – of a live performance in front of 400 people is a fast-pace process where decisions need to be made in the twinkling of an eye.
After six years in the role, theatre technician Tim Williams has set up more than 1000 shows, from small live performances on the Mildura Arts Centre’s lawns to major touring productions.
Alongside four other theatre technicians, Tim’s mission is to optimise the shows’ production value by looking after the lighting and sounds.
In other words, he is one of those invisible helping hands who make a show come to life in front of the public’s eyes.
“Especially with local shows, they come in with an idea and it’s my job to interpret that idea and make the most of that idea the best I can,” he says.
“For larger shows, they send specifications. We put that together before they arrive so when they come in the doors half of it is already built.
“Sometimes we even operate during the show, doing lighting for instance, which can be fly by the seat of your pants.”
The fast-pace role requires to act within tight time constraints, with the doors of the theaters set to open at a given time.
It means that prioritising what needs to be done first – a large part of Tim’s job is to maintain the illusion everything is going smoothly at all times – even when that’s not the case.
“It is so satisfying to see (the show) come to life,” he says.
“A lot of people don’t realise what goes on behind the scenes, sometimes things could be crazy backstage and the audience members can come out and comment on how smoothly the show went.
“When the customer comes to us, thanks us, you know you have done a good job.”
rything is going smoothly at all times – even when that’s not the case.
“It is so satisfying to see (the show) come to life,” he says.
“A lot of people don’t realise what goes on behind the scenes, sometimes things could be crazy backstage and the audience members can come out and comment on how smoothly the show went.
“When the customer comes to us, thanks us, you know you have done a good job.”
In other words, he is one of those invisible helping hands who make a show come to life in front of the public’s eyes.
“Especially with local shows, they come in with an idea and it’s my job to interpret that idea and make the most of that idea the best I can,” he says.
“For larger shows, they send specifications. We put that together before they arrive so when they come in the doors half of it is already built.
“Sometimes we even operate during the show, doing lighting for instance, which can be fly by the seat of your pants.”
The fast-pace role requires to act within tight time constraints, with the doors of the theaters set to open at a given time.
It means that prioritising what needs to be done first – a large part of Tim’s job is to maintain the illusion everything is going smoothly at all times – even when that’s not the case.
“It is so satisfying to see (the show) come to life,” he says.
“A lot of people don’t realise what goes on behind the scenes, sometimes things could be crazy backstage and the audience members can come out and comment on how smoothly the show went.
“When the customer comes to us, thanks us, you know you have done a good job.”
Sally Freeman, Senior customer service officer
With more than 85,000 people coming through the Mildura Arts Centre doors last year, the Mildura Arts Centre front of house staff is faced with a variety of enquiries and requests.
To co-ordinate the team of 10 casual and part-time staff working in the box office right through to the theater, senior customer service officer Sally Freeman builds on her extensive experience of more than a decade in the role.
With MAC being a seven-day a week facility, she makes sure all the resources are set for an event.
“The running sheet is my best friend,” she says.
“My aim is to make any event, whether it’s a big show or a small one, look effortless.”
The customer service is key to the facility as it is the first point of contact for the public.
That’s an aspect of the role Sally particularly enjoys – as well as the quality of the team she manages.
“We get lots of grey nomads coming through, we talk to them about not only what’s happening at MAC but also in Mildura generally,” she says.
But the main reason why she stepped into the role, 10 years ago, is a passion for performing arts and dance.
“That’s what drew me here,” she says.
“That and the customer service aspect.
“I’m very much of a people person.”
Heather Lee, Gallery and heritage team leader
A passion for arts is what drew Mildura’s Heather Lee to her role of gallery and heritage team leader at the Mildura Arts Centre 11 years ago.
With five gallery spaces, MAC showcases a vibrant mix of temporary exhibitions drawn from the gallery’s collection, together with work by contemporary local artists, visiting artists and touring exhibitions.
“My role consists of creating and maintaining strong relationships with them,” Heather says.
“The biggest requirement is to be flexible enough to try to bring everybody’s thoughts and ideas together in a way that is harmonious.”
Working in a regional setting is also about offering the diversity across the gallery program to make sure the public has access to a wide range of exhibitions, she says.
Last year, Heather worked on about 25 exhibitions including public programs such as workshops during school holidays.
“(Artists) bring in the artwork and we discuss the particular layout that may be suitable, how they would like to see the exhibition opening work, the particular type of food,” Heather says.
“At the same time there are a lot of research elements involved, identifying interesting threads to connect one artifact to another and try to tell a complex story.”
As a practicing artist in printmaking and sculpture, she particularly enjoys seeing the delight of emerging artists having their work displayed in a gallery for the first time.
This year has taken her passion to the next step by undertaking a Master of Philosophy in Art and History, which she hopes will lead to a PhD.
Antonette Zema, arts, culture and development manager
Deciding which show will make it to the 444-seat theater of the Mildura Arts Centre (MAC) is not as easy as it seems.
From traditional performances, opera and classical music, comedy right through to contemporary dance, bands, live music, the choice is large for arts, culture and development manager Antonette Zema.
When asked about the criteria she uses to select a show for Mildura she says it’s the reputation and the opportunities for community engagement.
But there is no better way to judge a show than seeing it with her own eyes, she says.
“A lot of the time we would go out and source the product, see it performed to make sure it’s suitable for our audience and the quality of it,” she says.
“I think we have quite a balance of performances these days with comedy, light entertainment is what people love to come out and just enjoy.”
The contemporary Mildura public is eager to for funny, light-hearted shows she says.
“They like to go out and escape their everyday life, just have a laugh but that’s not to say people don’t like a great drama to get absorbed in,” she says.
“Working in a regional venue also gives the opportunity to experience more variety of roles.
“You can be doing marketing one day, sourcing and selecting the shows as well as being a technician the next.”
